Recipes: One-pan sausage dinners

A couple of vegetables and several of your favorite saugages make for a simple, late-autumn feast.

Photo by anthony tieuli; food styling by Sheila jarnes/Ennis inc.

Roasted honey-mustard sausages with leeks, kale, and apples.

By Adam RiedDecember 01, 2017

In my experience, sausage for supper is a surefire crowd pleaser. Here they’re roasted on a sheet pan with plenty of vegetables, requiring just a salad to complement the rich, concentrated flavors and complete the meal.

If you opt for fresh pork sausages, you may want to tilt the pan and swab off the rendered fat before serving.

With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large, heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Working in batches, in a large bowl, microwave the kale until partially collapsed, about 2 minutes per batch. Set the kale aside.

In a large bowl, toss the leeks with 3 tablespoons olive oil to coat. Add ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and toss again to distribute. Spread the leeks on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.

Whisk the honey, mustard, and remaining olive oil to blend. Add the sausages and toss to coat. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and add the kale to the roasting leeks, mix, and spread into an even layer. Arrange sausages on top of the vegetables, leaving a little space between them for moisture from vegetables to escape. Continue to roast for 10 minutes longer. Toss the apples with any residual mustard mixture. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, move the sausages aside, add the apples and thyme to the kale-leek mixture, mix, and spread into an even layer. Replace the sausages and continue to roast until the apples are tender and sausages are cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the sausages aside. Adjust the vegetables’ seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Add most of the parsley and stir to mix. Arrange the vegetables and sausages, browned side up, on a large serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.

Roasted Chorizo With Sweet Potatoes, Bell Peppers, and Smoked Paprika

Makes about 8 cups roasted vegetables; Serves 6

To my mind, servings of this dish cry out to be topped with a fried or poached egg, which casts it in the role of breakfast as well as dinner. It’s also great with about 2 pounds of thickly bias-sliced linguica in place of the chorizo. This recipe is adapted from Pure Simple Cooking by Diana Henry.

With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a large, heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the onions and bell peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Add half the smoked paprika, half the cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and toss again to distribute. Spread the mixture evenly on the lined pan and roast, undisturbed, until collapsed and beginning to brown at the edges, about 20 minutes.

Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Add the garlic, remaining smoked paprika and cumin, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and toss again to distribute. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, stir the bell pepper mixture, and spread it over half the baking sheet. Spread the sweet potato mixture on the empty side of the baking sheet. Toss the sausages with the remaining olive oil to coat. Arrange sausages on top of the vegetables, leaving a little space between them for moisture from vegetables to escape, return to the oven, and continue to roast until the sweet potatoes are tender and sausages are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the sausages aside. Adjust the vegetables’ seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Add most of the parsley and stir to mix. Arrange the vegetables and sausages, browned side up, on a large serving platter, dust with smoked paprika and sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.

TIP: BLANCHING FRESH SAUSAGES TO REMOVE FAT

Anthony Tieuli

Blanching fresh sausages can remove a little fat before they roast. In a large pot, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. With a dinner fork, prick each sausage several times along its length. Add them to the water, reduce the heat to medium, simmer for about 5 minutes, drain, and dry the sausages.

Roasted Fresh Chicken Sausage, Cabbage, and Mushrooms with Rosemary

Makes about 6 cups roasted vegetables; Serves 6

2 pounds green cabbage, cored and thickly shredded (about 14 cups)

3½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ pounds cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered, left whole if very small (about 8 cups)

Salt and ground black pepper

¼ cup thinly sliced garlic (about 8 large cloves)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

6 to 12 fresh chicken sausages, flavor of choice

1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more, to taste

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large, heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with 1½ tablespoons olive oil to coat. Add the mushrooms and another 1 tablespoon oil and toss to coat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste and toss to coat. Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet and roast, undisturbed, for 25 minutes, stirring and redistributing on the baking sheet about halfway through.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and add the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes; stir to distribute and spread into an even layer. Toss sausages with the remaining oil to coat. Arrange sausages on top of the vegetables, leaving a little space between them for moisture from vegetables to escape, return to the oven, and continue to roast until the vegetables are browned and sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes longer.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the sausages aside. Add the lemon juice to the vegetables and stir to distribute. Adjust the vegetables’ seasoning with salt, black pepper, or lemon juice, if necessary. Add most of the parsley and stir to mix. Arrange the vegetables and sausages, browned side up, on a large serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.